As Good As Gone, by Larry Watson

(my photo)

This is an Early Reviewers book, which I received from Algonquin Books, asking nothing but an honest review.

I enjoyed the storyline and the characters, got really involved in it, and kept reading to see what would happen. I did not much care for the strong language and sexuality, but the language was in keeping with the nature of the characters.

A tough, rangy old cowboy, now living almost as a hermit, is asked by his son to come stay with his grandchildren, who are strangers to him, for a few days while the son takes his wife to another city for surgery. The town, which as a former real estate agent, he helped build has also become strange to him, but the widow next door remembers him well.
His son and daughter-in-law have left some situations unresolved, and as attention is needed to sort them out, "Grandpa" delves in with knife and pistol and fists and tries to settle them the old-fashioned cowboy way.

Whispers, by Belva Plain

Whispers and rumors abound, in the home and among friends and neighbors. Lies and cover-ups, to oneself, to children and other family members, to friends and neighbors. Finally, abruptly, and dramatically, it all must come out. A story of domestic violence, told very skillfully. This was not a pleasant book to read, but it kept me enthralled to the end.

Run, by Ann Patchett (audiobook)

This book was given to me by a Bookcrossing friend, a surprise gift sent in the mail! (Thanks again, Captivated Reader!) It is an audiobook. I am not in the habit of listening to books; I usually prefer to hold and read them, but as it happened, husband and I made several long auto trips in the last month, and we both enjoyed listening to the book in the car.
We got caught up in the story: a retired mayor of Boston, Mass. has taken his two adult adopted sons to a lecture by Jesse Jackson. As they were leaving, his older son stepped off the curb into the path of a SUV. A stranger pushed him out of the way, and was herself seriously injured. She was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, leaving her 11 year old daughter alone on the street. The mayor and his sons persuade her come to their house. As it happens, the mayor's adopted sons are African-American, and so are the mother and daughter. As the story develops, long-hidden family secrets are slowly revealed and mysteries appear.
I never did quite understand older, natural born brother Sullivan's hidden past. Perhaps my thoughts wandered a little while that bit was explained, but I didn't want to listen to it all over again, just to find it. Otherwise, the story was quite enjoyable, but tied up a little too neatly and quickly at the end. Also, the bit about Tennessee's deceased friend mysteriously appearing in her hospital room seemed very strange, even surreal.
I did think that Peter Francis James did an excellent job narrating the story. His range of voices was spot on, from Boston Irish Catholic accents to Jamaican, Asian Indian, and perfect renditions of Jesse Jackson and of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (as heard on a radio in the story). Every one was distinct and well done, even the young girl, without resorting to the use of falsetto.

Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck

A public library book read and reviewed for LibraryThing in April, 2014

A revealing and intimate look at individuals often overlooked by "dressed for success" nine-to-five suburbanites. Everyone has his own way of looking at life, his own hopes and dreams, regrets and failures. This was very well written, as one would expect from Steinbeck. However, I became irritated at Mack's frequent, almost constant use of "I and the boys". If I were Doc, I'd find it hard to resist correcting him, but Doc knew it would be useless.

Her Father's House, by Belva Plain

Read, reviewed, and released in April, 2015

Interesting reading, an exciting tale about love gone wrong. An aspiring lawyer meets an attractive young woman, falls in love, and they marry. Then they learn that they are not suited for one another; she likes the fast life whereas he longs for a quieter, more conventional way of living. At her suggestion, they divorce, but not before she learns that she is pregnant.

The rest of the book tells of his decision to kidnap his daughter after a near disaster, and of his efforts to hide away in the country under an assumed name, with a new identity and a new life. However, he is eventually discovered, as we knew he must be.
I found it ironic that the things he most despised in his former wife, her lies and deception, became the way he lived for many years, hiding in the country.

I had some problems with this book. What did she see in him, why did she pursue him? Why was she so eager to marry him? His philosophy of life was no secret to her. Also, it seems to me that he could have proven that the child was endangered, having been taken to an adult party with excessive drinking and drug use, and put into a car with a drunken, speeding driver. Oh, well, it did make for an exciting tale.

The Kitchen God's Wife, by Amy Tan

Read and reviewed in May, 2015

A very powerful book, and distrubing. It begins very simply and seemingly ordinary, with a family reunion and wedding. However, as the mother reveals more and more of her past to her daughter, it became very hard to read, especially about Weili's first marriage, the abuse and the heartaches she endured. The story line begins in California, and takes us back to war-torn China, facing first the Japanese and then the Communists. War and politics are only a background for Weili's troubles, though.

Spring Moon, by Bette Bao Lord

Read, reviewed, and given to a friend in June, 2015

I didn't want this book to end!
Spring Moon is a family saga, continuing through several generations, through many wars and revolutions. China has had a very turbulent history, and this is reflected in the fictional families of Chang and Woo. We follow the young girl, Spring Moon (born in 1877) into adolescence and womanhood, marriage, motherhood, heartbreak and tragedy. Her mother-in-law, on her deathbed, predicts that Spring Moon will live to see five generations.
Mrs. Lord is an excellent writer, conveying the history of China through the eyes of one woman and her family. At the same time we are brought into the sequestered world of 19th century privileged women, confined and bound by tradition, but still feeling hope, love, and despair behind closed doors. Each chapter begins with ancient tale, legend, or note of history, which adds understanding. Also, there is a timeline of the events of Chinese history from the ancient legendary era to 1981, the date of the book's publication.

The Paris Architect: A Novel, by Charles Belfoure

Read and reviewed in January, 2015

I don't remember where I got this book, or when. It is a new trade paperback, marked down to $9.64 from $14.99. It's possible that it was part of a 3 for $10 deal at the grocery store.

It is a fictional account of the German Occupation of Paris during World War II. I can't say I enjoyed it, but I'm glad I read it. A very thrilling and exciting story, as well as very disturbing. I had to put it down several times, as it was so intense.
Lucien Bernard, the Parisian architect, accepts an unusual commission from a wealthy industrialist. Design hiding places for Jews so clever that the Nazis will never find them, and in exchange, be rewarded with important commissions to build bigger and more efficient factories for German weapons. As the story develops, Lucien grows in character and compassion.

(start 23)

A Sudden Change of Heart, by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Read in September, 2014, reviewed and released later

I read this while I was at a rehab facility following knee surgery, a couple of months ago. I wasn't able to write a review at the time, and I have forgotten most of it by now, but I did enjoy it. It concerned family relationships, marriage, lifelong friendship, and also the theft of art by the Nazis during World War II.

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood: A Novel, by Rebecca Wells

Read and reviewed in November, 2014. Released later

Wow, what a wild ride! A mother's life, especially her adolesence, as seen through the eyes of her eldest daughter, Siddalee, with frequent flashbacks as remembered by the mother, Vivi. Herself the daughter of an alcoholic, abusive father and an overly pious, strictly religious mother, Vivi was the ringleader of a group of four girls who remained best friends from childhood to late middle age. They had some wild escapades in their youth, including a skinny-dipping party in the town's water tower! Vivi was beaten by her father, chastised by her mother, and sent to a strict Catholic girls' boarding school. No wonder that she became an alcoholic, and that her own four young children were overwhelming for her. The surprising thing is that her daughter Sidda turned out to be as normal as she was.

The Emerald Storm (An Ethan Gage Adventure), by William Dietrich

Reviewed and released in September, 2014

A historical drama set in the early 17th century. A swash-buckling hero is on a quest to rescue his wife and secure the lost treasure of Montezuma while evading the British and the French, who have their own agendas.

I couldn't get interested in it. I felt no sympathy for the main character, and hadn't met any others. I hope someone else enjoys it.

Sonoma Rose, (Elm Creek Quilts Novels (Dutton Hardcover)) by Jennifer Chiaverini

Read, reviewed, and released in September, 2014

I thought this would be a light "chick lit" romance, but it was deeper, encompassing many difficult themes: domestic violence, adultery, chronic illness, ethnic/cultural clashes. Rosa is forced to leave her abusive husband, and her rescuer is a former lover and father of two of her children. She regrets her former lapses and has vowed to remain true to her morals and the teaching of the church, but they still have feelings for each other. How will this be resolved, and what will her husband do if he finds them?

It is part of the author's "Elm Creek Quilts" series, but stands alone very well (I haven't read any of the others).

The Last Hotel for Women: A Novel, by Vicki Covington

Read, reviewed, and released in April, 2014

A fictional account of the Civil Rights Freedom Rides as seen through the eyes of a pre-teen girl and her teen age brother. They lived in a hotel run by their parents, where many news reporters from all over stayed, as well as one Freedom Rider, and which was frequented by the infamous Bull Conner.

It was interesting for the most part, but ended abruptly with too many questions left hanging.

A Gift from Brittany, by Marjorie Price |

A wonderful book that I won't soon forget. A mostly gentle memoir of an American artist's life in the French country and her close friendship with an older peasant woman who offers kindness and wisdom.

Spoiler alert: Warning, Don't scroll down if you don't want to know too much.










also deals with a controlling spouse and domestic violence

One Mississippi: A Novel, by Mark Childress

Read and reviewed in February, 2014. Released later

What a wild ride this was! From beginning to end, full of drama and violence: explosions, catastrophes, interracial romance, homophobia, riot, and mass murder - all in the context of a teenage boy and his family and his best friend in a new community.

Levi's Will, by W. Dale Cramer

Read and reviewed in November, 2013. Released later.

I'm very glad I picked this up at the church garage sale, even though I had not heard of this author. It is a very well written story of a run-away son who, after many years, attempts reconciliation with his stern, tradition-bound elderly father. It also includes his experience in the Army during World War II, his romance with his future wife and his relationships with his own sons, especially with his exceptionally gifted but rebellious second son.

I couldn't help but compare this with The Chosen by Chaim Potok, which I recently read. Both books deal with similar themes: a stern, tradition-bound father and an exceptionally gifted but rebellious son.

A Change in Altitude: A Novel, by Anita Shreve

Read and reviewed in May, 2013. Released later.

I just finished this yesterday, an excellent book! Very well written. The characters were believable and the setting was beautifully described. A young couple is in Kenya where the husband is researching equatorial medicine and conducting clinics, while the wife looks for worthwhile and fulfilling employment. They are invited to climb Mt. Kenya with new friends, a trek for which they are ill prepared. Many life lessons learned, some at tragic cost, and a second trek is planned to bring closure to many questions and perplexities.

Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver

Read and reviewed in May, 2013. No longer in my possession.

I just finished it yesterday, and am tempted to read it again before I release it. It was that good; I ususally don't read books twice.

This is an excellently written novel entwining the lives of three "pairs": Deanna and Eddy, Lusa and Cole, and Nannie and Garnett, a den of coyotes, and all of the farming community of Egg Fork and the wilderness of Zebulon Mountain. The women are the nurturers who care strongly about every wild creature and how they all fit into the ecosystem. They vainly try to convince the men, who are the hunters and destroyers, killing predators and poisoning the environment with chemicals. We become deeply involved in their lives and their passions, physical and emotional. Gradually the three threads come together as we see how they are connected to one another, even to the detail of a pair of brocade armchairs.

Hill Towns, by Anne Rivers Siddons

Read and reviewed in November, 2012, released later

This novel is a complicated story about a group of people traveling in Italy with a newly-wed couple, combining travelogue with romantic tension.

Manor House, by Johannes Meintjes

Read and reviewed in May, 2012, released later.

Just finished this book, a wonderful book that will stay with me. I'm very glad I happened to see it at the thriftshop. It was written by a South African writer unknown to me.

It is a former library book from East Baton Rouge Parish Library of Baton Rouge, Louisiana USA, and in fair condition. Only a couple of marks (one is "I loved this book - very unusual!" written on the frontispiece. I agree with the sentiment) and one torn page that has been taped over and is completely in the margin. The bonus was that I could use the check-out card as a bookmark! I always used to do this before libraries went digital.

The book is about two Cape Dutch Afrikaner (white) families and how their lives are intertwined and affected by a series of tragedies. Featured are the narrator and his friend, a very talented, popular and gregarious artist who returns to the homeplace to restore it, and becomes an impoverished recluse in the process. It was really hard to put this book down; I was fascinated in finding how their lives would unfold and how various issues would be resolved.